


The Moment

by Vizkopa



Category: One Piece
Genre: F/M, Fluff, readerinsert - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-12
Updated: 2015-10-12
Packaged: 2018-04-26 01:40:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4985014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vizkopa/pseuds/Vizkopa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>We lived in the moment, and in that moment, I wished summer would last forever.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Moment

**Prequel to "Summer's End" (If you want it to be. Otherwise read as a standalone fic.)**

Summer heat had just begun to settle on our little island when white sails appeared on the horizon. Normally, this wouldn’t have been any cause for concern. But we all saw the black flag flying atop the mast in the distance. A black flag bearing the visage of death himself.

“Magnus!” I called to the tavern owner upon seeing the sails. “Better unlock the wine cellars. We’ll be having company.”

Whether the ships carried friend or foe, we could never be sure. All we knew was that a drunk pirate was a happy pirate. And a happy pirate meant our little island would stay on the map just a little longer.

They ran ashore after midday. I was stocking the bar in the tavern when the first of them walked in. Two men; one with an odd crop of blonde hair, the other donning an orange Stetson. The latter grinned at me from beneath the brim of his hat and stepped forward to take a seat at the bar. After a moment of hesitation, the other followed.

“Can I help you two?” I asked warily.

“A drink, please. Ale, if you have it,” said the one in the hat. Up close I could see the smattering of freckles across his cheeks. He was cute.

I nodded, trying not to blush under his gaze and looked to his friend.

“Same for me,” said the blonde pirate.

I studied them for a short moment, before fetching their drinks. They thanked me and said no more, so I went about my usual post-lunch rush duties. I took the opportunity to study them more closely from afar.

They were both bare-chested, as pirates frequently were. The first wore his shirt open and I could see the insignia tattooed on his chest. I recognised it as the same Jolly Rodger their ship flew, though I couldn’t guess the crew. There were so many rookie pirates these days, it was difficult to keep up.

The second pirate had decided to forgo a shirt completely. I belatedly realised I was staring when he suddenly looked up and flashed me a knowing grin. The blonde pirate also noticed me watching and beckoned me over. The freckled pirate watched me from over the rim of his tankard as he took a deep drought, laughter in his eyes.

“Would you happen to know how long it takes a log pose to set here?” asked the blonde pirate.

“Oh, three months or so…”

The freckled pirate spluttered, almost spraying his drink all over the bar top. “Three months!? We can’t stay here for three months!”

I turned to him and shrugged. “Well it’s that or risk going on ahead completely blind. I just hope our booze stocks will hold up that long.”

He was left speechless. 

“Best make yourselves comfortable,” I said, taking the empty glass from his hand. “It’ll be a long summer. For all of us.”

That night the tavern was rowdier than it had ever been. The pirates – the Whitebeard Pirates as we had come to know them – had managed to rope a number of the locals into a game of dice, and from the sound of it, the pirates were losing. Spectacularly.

My view of the gambling table was blocked as a body slipped into a counter seat in front of me. It was the pirate from before, with the cute freckles and the tendency to never wear a shirt. How I was going to get through three months of work with him as a constant distraction, I had no idea.

“How ‘bout another ale?”

I poured it for him and slid it over the counter, unsmiling. He took it, watching me curiously, and sipped at it slowly. His eyes never left mine and I could feel my cheeks beginning to heat up. In the low light of the tavern, I hoped it wasn’t noticeable.

“I’m Ace,” he said suddenly.

“[Name].” He gave no surname so I gave none too. “Where’s your friend tonight?”

“Who, Marco?” He waved his hand dismissively. “He’s giving tonight a miss. Doesn’t approve of what I’m doing.”

“And what exactly are you doing?”

“Trying to get close to you.”

I was taken aback by his forward answer, but recovered myself quickly. I shook my head slowly and opened my mouth to tell him why there were so many problems with that but I was interrupted by someone calling my name.

“[Name]! Another round, please,” called a local as he stepped up to the counter.

“Sure thing, Ash,” I said, forcing a grin. “How’re things going over there?”

He beamed back. “We’re cleaning up! When I walk away with the pot, what say we buy you a nice diamond ring, huh?”

I laughed as I handed him his drinks. “You win that pot, then we’ll talk.”

Ash winked and wandered back to the group, smiling even more brightly.

Ace watched the man leave, then turned back to me, eyebrow raised. “What was that?” he asked playfully.

I picked up an empty glass and began cleaning it, avoiding his gaze. “Part of my job. Gotta keep the customers happy.”

“Am I not a customer?”

“I don’t flirt with pirates.”

“Why not?”

I put the glass aside and leaned my forearms on the counter, studying him carefully. “Because pirates always have things to do. Places to be. Once the log pose sets, they’re out of here. No point in wasting my energy on someone who’s just going to leave.”

“Ever hear of living in the moment?”

I raised an eyebrow. “I hear people often come to regret it.”

He laughed and the sound was pleasant to my ears. “Maybe you should try it some time,” he said with a lopsided grin. I couldn’t help but find it endearing.

“And if I regret it?”

He shrugged. “That’s for future you to worry about.”

We talked the rest of the night, until the last of the drunken stragglers stumbled home and it was time to close the tavern. The pirates’ luck had turned at the last minute (though I suspected luck had little to do with it), and they had walked away with full pockets and hearty grins, while the locals had left with their heads hanging, kicking the dirt on their way out. 

Ace and I said our goodnights – abrupt and awkward. It seemed we had no more to say to one another, but in reality, we just weren’t brave enough to say what we really wanted to. I watched him walk away, hands in his pockets and gazing up into the clear night sky. I heard him utter a deep sigh.

I made to turn away but found I couldn’t. I didn’t know why, but I couldn’t stand to see him walk away. Before I knew it, my feet were flying across the road, and my voice was shouting his name to the warm summer air. 

He turned at my shout and barely had time to manage a look of surprise before I barrelled into him and kissed him. He tasted like ale and smelled of the sea and burnt matches.

“What are you doing?” he whispered against my lips, reluctant to break away. His eyes were closed, as if he believed I would simply fade away like a dream if he opened them.

“Living in the moment,” I whispered back, pulling him back down for another kiss.

One mid-summer afternoon, we met under the tree on the hill beside the village, as we often did. We sat with our backs to the trunk and watched thin, wispy clouds float across the sky. I leaned my head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat, his skin so warm against my cheek it was almost feverish.

“Ace…?”

He hummed in response and I took that as my cue to continue.

“It’s been nearly two months… Can we really keep doing this?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“But when the log pose sets—”

He placed his finger over my lips and shushed me. “Don’t think about it. Just enjoy the moment.”

“But—”

“[Name]. Don’t ruin this. It’ll just make it harder in the end.”

_But I already can’t imagine my life without you in it._

He searched my eyes and when he was satisfied by what he found, he nodded and jumped to his feet.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Living in the moment,” he said with his usual lopsided grin. His finger glowed red and with it he scorched our initials into the bark of the tree.

I snorted. “Going to be extra cheesy and put a heart around them too?”

“You read my mind,” he said, grinning as he turned back to the tree to carve a shaky heart around our names. 

I couldn’t help but think how cute he looked with his tongue poking out from between his teeth in concentration, and I realised just how young he really was. He was born into this world alone, forced to grow up too soon, yet the childish innocence remained. I guessed that was his brother’s influence. Ace never seemed to shut up about Luffy.

When he’s finished his handiwork, he turned back to me, a proud smirk on his face. It tugged at my heart and suddenly I realised I had fallen for him. Hard. Harder than I ever intended. I reached out and took his hand, pulling on it gently.

“Come on,” I said, leading him around the massive trunk of the tree to the shade where we were invisible to the prying eyes of the village. There, I kissed him, long and sweet. The summer breeze rustled his hair and it tickled my cheeks.

We didn’t think about what would happen when the log pose set and he’d have to say goodbye. We didn’t think about what would happen after, when the loneliness and the heartache set in.

We lived in the moment, and in that moment, I wished summer would last forever.


End file.
